Music And World

The History of Marimba

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The History of Marimba<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyzG58S0kzd671BH0atNU5f6YaQJ9bJQMx3Wa07AO_cxs4bv8LqVB2y2fKJQqCDNPS5Ubq-lanHjhuruhc-3Vy02XqiItEE1NPVbWZslB5ZnjhJmv8viF_FCY-kodFqtSApMMb88sk8vD/s1600/marimba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyzG58S0kzd671BH0atNU5f6YaQJ9bJQMx3Wa07AO_cxs4bv8LqVB2y2fKJQqCDNPS5Ubq-lanHjhuruhc-3Vy02XqiItEE1NPVbWZslB5ZnjhJmv8viF_FCY-kodFqtSApMMb88sk8vD/s320/marimba.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Introduction</h3>
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The Marimba in its simplest form originated among primitive men long</div>
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ago. It was one of the earliest melodic instruments made by man and references</div>
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suggest it was widespread throughout Asia and Africa. Though many countries</div>
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claim it to have originated in their country there is no evidence to prove the exact</div>
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location of its first arrival.</div>
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The instrument is known by various names and has different physical</div>
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characteristics depending upon the country or region it comes from. To better</div>
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understand its development throughout history, we must look at the people and</div>
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cultures that have made it part of their tradition.</div>
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The origin of the marimba is uncertain; some believe that it had originated in</div>
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Southeast Asia in the 14th Century, and others that it came from Africa. The</div>
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instrument was brought to South America in the early 16th Century by either</div>
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African slaves or by pre-Columbian African contact.</div>
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The marimba is an idiophone that is sounded by striking wooden bars with a</div>
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mallet. Its name is derived from Bantú, a language in which rimba suggests a</div>
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"flattish object sticking out" such as a note or key, and ma is a cumulative prefix;</div>
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thus, marimba is equivalent to many keys.5</div>
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In Guatemala, the word marimba means “the wood that sings” </div>
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This too is a type</div>
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of xylophone with resonators underneath the different-sized wooden keys which</div>
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are struck with mallets.</div>
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According to Nadel </div>
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, the name marimba signifies the gourd xylophone of Africa.</div>
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The gourd is used as a resonator creating longer tones. There are territories</div>
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where unresonated xylophones are also called marimbas and the name</div>
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“marimba” can be applied to instruments of the sana type (mbira). </div>
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The word is also related to a number of words in Bantu languages, all referring</div>
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either to a xylophone or to some other musical instrument, such as one of the</div>
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various types of lamellophone, or mbira. In the Bantu language, the words</div>
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marimba, mbira, or even likembe are all considered variants of a common word</div>
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root. Among the various names for xylophone in Bantu speaking African region</div>
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one finds, besides the marimba, silimba or sirimba, timbila, andamadimba, or</div>
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madimba.</div>
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 It is not possible to say precisely from which African xylophone type or from</div>
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which region of Africa the Mexican/Central American marimba may have</div>
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originated, the linguistic evidence suggests that the name marimba is of African,</div>
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specifically Bantu, origin is conclusive. It should also be noted that names for the</div>
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xylophone that sound like marimba are more common in Central, East, and</div>
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South Africa than in West Africa.</div>
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Since large numbers of Africans were brought as a labor force to Central</div>
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America, parts of Mexico and the Pacific Coast. These slaves formed along with</div>
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the Indians, the basic labor force of the coastal areas of Central America. It is</div>
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possible and most likely that in some coastal area the idea, form, and structure of</div>
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the African marimba was transmitted to the Indians of the region.</div>
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It is clear that</div>
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the instrument spread effectively among the Indians of the entire region of</div>
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Central America to Guatemala and Chiapas, with its greatest development</div>
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probably occurring in Guatemala. However, since it is impossible to know</div>
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precisely from which region of Africa the marimba came to America, or precisely</div>
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to which region of America it was first introduced, it is also impossible to have</div>
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any idea of how the first marimba music of America might have been played and</div>
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whether any African musical influences might have been transferred along with</div>
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the instrument itself. Although there are a number of regions on the coast of</div>
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Central America where the marimba might have been introduced from Africa, one</div>
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possibility might have been Guanacaste, a long coastal area in the northwest</div>
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region of Costa Rica that extends along the southwestern region of neighboring</div>
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Nicaragua, the area around the city of Masaya.</div>
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There is historical evidence of the existence of African slaves as part of the labor</div>
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force in this region and perhaps more important, marimbas with calabash </div>
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resonators and the strip of wood used as a brace or handle are still to be found</div>
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extensively throughout this region. Although the existence of this evidence for</div>
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Masaya and Guanacaste does not rule out the possibility of the introduction of</div>
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the marimba at some point of coastal Central America, the area of Nicaragua and</div>
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Costa Rica does represent a distinct possibility. From such a potential point of</div>
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contact the African marimba might have been passed along from one Indian</div>
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group to another until it finally reached the highlands of Guatemala. What is</div>
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important to note is the fact that the marimbas played in the highlands of</div>
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Guatemala, as well as those found in southwestern Nicaragua and northwestern</div>
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Costa Rica, “still have today the strongest structural similarities to the African</div>
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xylophones”. </div>
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Origin</div>
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 The original wooden instrument had a leg comprised of one, two or three</div>
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rough slabs of wood, disconnected and of different pitch’s.</div>
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The wood was laid</div>
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across the legs of a musician seated on the ground. The strip (leg) of wood often</div>
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comes from a long straight branch of a tree and serves a number of functions. It</div>
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can form a brace for the instrument, with the strip of wood placed on a stump of</div>
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wood and the player sitting on both while hooking his legs inside the strip and</div>
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thereby balancing and stabilizing the instrument as he plays.</div>
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The strip of wood</div>
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can also be used to hold the instrument from the waist when it is played from a</div>
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standing position or serve as a convenient handle when carrying the instrument.</div>
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The early marimbas were made of wooden bars or keys, with resonating gourds</div>
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suspended below. Each gourd was individually tuned to the primary pitch of its</div>
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corresponding key. The gourd was interiorly fitted with a mirliton or natural</div>
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membrane (tripa de puerco) which created the buzzing or reverberating sound</div>
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for which the marimba is known. These traditional marimbas are still made in</div>
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rural villages, mainly in Africa, Guatemala and Mexico.</div>
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 The sound of the early instrument varies depending upon where it was made</div>
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as the materials that make the resonated sound are of different sizes and</div>
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composition. The pitch of the wooden bars is governed by several factors. Firstly,</div>
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the material (type of wood), its length, width and dept all determine the timbre of</div>
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the instrument. For example, if a wooden bar is thinned (sanded down) in the</div>
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center in the shape of an arch, the pitch will become lower. The more wood that</div>
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is filed away from the middle of the bar, the lower the pitch will be. There are no </div>
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tuning systems across cultural borders. Each system is designed by its creator</div>
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and most are determined by the region they come from but over all, the</div>
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instrument design and keys are similar in many countries. </div>
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source:<a href="http://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=clmusic_facpub" target="_blank">engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu</a></div>

The History of Marimba

The History of Marimba Introduction The Marimba in its simplest form originated among primitive men long ago. It was one of the ear...

Brief History of Drums

Eugene 0 history 7:19 PM

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A Brief History of Drums</h2>
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Introduction</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUD1m3Kbtop_idW_yzu85AYw9pvN4SVT3siud371f3JJspW2I056Ae8QA0Dt46X-GgI0TNLNbbb6IyIbPibV60X-1glgrR1rUyPIMM7qwMy9dxItbJrRT0NHnqzYP7avaJUHOfV6rzw5NO/s1600/drum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUD1m3Kbtop_idW_yzu85AYw9pvN4SVT3siud371f3JJspW2I056Ae8QA0Dt46X-GgI0TNLNbbb6IyIbPibV60X-1glgrR1rUyPIMM7qwMy9dxItbJrRT0NHnqzYP7avaJUHOfV6rzw5NO/s320/drum.jpg" width="320" /></a>Drums—technically known as membranophones—may be mankind’s oldest instrument, dating back to when humans first learned to keep rhythm.</div>
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Drums consist of a membrane (also known as a skin) stretched over an open-ended cylinder (also known as a shell) and struck with the band or a stick. Some drums have a skin stretched over the bottom of the shell as well.</div>
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Drums first appeared as far back as 6000 BC. Mesopotamian excavations unearthed small cylindrical drums dated 3000 BC. American Indians and the indigenous people of Peru, for example, used gourd and wooden constructed drums for their rituals, religious ceremonies, and various other aspects of their social life.</div>
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Before the modern era, the various drum-related percussion instruments were often played by different people.  For example, the bass drum would be played by one musician with the cymbals and snare played by others.  As music evolved, this became unwieldy and expensive.  Various attempts were made to consolidate all these instruments so that they could all be played by just one person.</div>
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The modern drum set-up evolved out of marching bands as well as the vaudeville and jazz eras. The foot-operated bass drum appearing in 1909 courtesy of Ludwig & Ludwig Co. of Chicago, which freed up the hands to play other things for the first time.  Experiments with various set-ups continued until the 1930s when a dance band drummer named Ben Duncan and a few others settled on a standardized arrangement of one bass drum, a snare, a raised tom-tom and a floor tom-tom.</div>
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The modern rock drum set-up in rock is called a “kit” which can come in many different and highly personalized configurations.</div>
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A typical kit is centered on the snare drum on which the player plays in time with the music.  It has wires running across the skin stretched across the bottom of the drum, giving it a sharp sound that cuts through most other instrumentation.  The snare is used in conjunction with the bass (or kick) drum, which sits on its side and is played with a food pedal.</div>
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The bass drum sits its side on the floor and is played with a foot pedal.</div>
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Kits will usually have one or more tom-toms of different diameters and depths, which are used to provide additional sounds.  Mounted toms sit atop the bass drum or on special stands.  Floor toms have their own legs and stand on the floor.</div>
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Types of Drums</h3>
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Drummers will use a variety of cymbals.  Crash and ride cymbals of various sizes, weights and materials are suspended from stands so they may ring freely.  Hi-hats (which first appeared in about 1926) consist of two cymbals sitting on top of each other and are used along with the snare and the bass drum to provide the foundation of the beat.  Hi-hats sit in a special stand with a foot pedal that allows the drummer to separate and clash them together for rhythmic effect.</div>
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Drums can be made from wood, metal and various synthetic materials such as fibreglass and acrylic in a variety of sizes and weights.  Each material and size comes with its own sonic properties.  The sound of a drum can also be influenced by the thickness and material of the head.  Tightening the head (i.e. increasing the tension) will produce a higher pitch.  Tom-toms with heads on the underside can be tuned to create an even wider variety of sounds and tones.  Other determining factors in the sound of its drum are the thickness, length and diameter of the shell.Drummers will use a variety of cymbals.  Crash and ride cymbals of various sizes, weights and materials are suspended from stands so they may ring freely.  Hi-hats (which first appeared in about 1926) consist of two cymbals sitting on top of each other and are used along with the snare and the bass drum to provide the foundation of the beat.  Hi-hats sit in a special stand with a foot pedal that allows the drummer to separate and clash them together for rhythmic effect.</div>
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Drums can be made from wood, metal and various synthetic materials such as fibreglass and acrylic in a variety of sizes and weights.  Each material and size comes with its own sonic properties.  The sound of a drum can also be influenced by the thickness and material of the head.  Tightening the head (i.e. increasing the tension) will produce a higher pitch.  Tom-toms with heads on the underside can be tuned to create an even wider variety of sounds and tones.  Other determining factors in the sound of its drum are the thickness, length and diameter of the shell.</div>
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source:<a href="http://www.scienceofrock.com/a-brief-history-of-drums" target="_blank">scienceofrock.com</a></div>
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Brief History of Drums

A Brief History of Drums Introduction Drums—technically known as membranophones—may be mankind’s oldest instrument, dating back to ...

Trombone

Eugene 0 instruments 7:14 PM

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Trombone</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVETmolVvpiZVuHq7Fh27ZBqwLxVj1qw4WxoKycXfwL-6ltS5KO1MzDq8t_BxElDmVUV80g4c_W1YJ9HnspqkxJtQ72ZFUzuVEJ2zFopxeLw0RAo0Wk0JP_c_wLjqOyyB8ZG5YG7pWXDIW/s1600/trombone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVETmolVvpiZVuHq7Fh27ZBqwLxVj1qw4WxoKycXfwL-6ltS5KO1MzDq8t_BxElDmVUV80g4c_W1YJ9HnspqkxJtQ72ZFUzuVEJ2zFopxeLw0RAo0Wk0JP_c_wLjqOyyB8ZG5YG7pWXDIW/s320/trombone.jpg" width="320" /></a>Given the best evidence, which by all accounts is very much incomplete, the earliest trombone, called the sackbutt and similar names in England, seems to have emerged from Belgium circa 1450. Though the earliest examples of this instrument date to a century later (circa 1550), direct references to musicians and their instruments, and surviving artwork, both establish the existence of the saxbutt circa 1450.</div>
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The bells of these earliest instruments terminated in a rimless funnel little wider than 5" in diameter (13cm). Like the modern trombone, these were a tenor instrument, and by the early 17th century there was an alto, a bass and a contrabass version.</div>
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These early instruments often came with a variety of crooks, to lower the pitch a tone or more, or in some cases to drop the range of a particular instrument to the next register.</div>
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These early instruments were known to have been used to accompany church music, and to have played parts in bands, though parts for these instruments were rarely scored. The evidence suggests that the players of these instruments read from parts that, though not written specifically for these instruments (or any other), were nevertheless intended to be part of the performance practice of the day.</div>
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The addition of trombones to the orchestra began in the 18th century, though their most popular role was as vocal support for the sacred music of the church, a tradition which continued until at least the mid-19th century. An excellent example of this type of scoring can be found in such music as Fanny Mendelsson-Hensel’s Oratorio based upon scenes from the Bible. Gluck, Gossec and Mozart wrote passages for the trombone intended to be spiritual or supernatural; Gluck commonly used three members of the trombone family- altos, tenors and basses.</div>
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By the mid-19th century, bell-size became wider as a larger, louder sound was desired, for performance in bands, and to generate greater volume in orchestras which were continually increasing in size. Composers like Berlioz and Wagner relied heavily on trombones for bigger volume, and a far greater range of emotion expressing might, heroism, barbarism, religious fervor, and, it must be admitted, the spectacle of sheer volume for its own sake. This no doubt prompted Richard Strauss to utter the famous quote, “Never look at the trombones ... it only encourages them.”</div>
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By this time, though the role of the trombone in band and classical music was pretty much set, by the end of the 19th century the trombone found itself in the hands of early jazz musicians, in New Orleans, USA. The various types of jazz were: New Orleans jazz (1870's to the 1920's), Ragtime (circa 1890- 1930), what some called the Jazz Era (1910's-1930), the Big Band or Swing Era (1930's- 1940's), the Be Bop Era (1940's- 1950's), the Avant Guard Era (late 1950's), Free Jazz (late 1950's), and Fusion (1960's-1970's).</div>
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In early jazz the trombone played a more or less functional role, and was usually present as a single instrument. Early jazz bands consisted of a wide variety of instruments, but by the 1930's became more or less standardised, consisting most often of four trombones, four saxophones, four trumpets, and the rhythm section which was made up of bass or tuba, drums, piano, and guitar or banjo.</div>
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One soloist of particular note, Tommy Dorsey, was the first to play the trombone as a singing, lyrical solo instrument- a far cry from its more Wagnerian association of the previous century.</div>
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<br />Trombone Forms and Configurations</h3>
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In the 1870's, Adolphe Sax and other instrument builders made a six-valve trombone, where the six valves, manipulated by both hands, corresponded to the six slide positions.</div>
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Two-hundred years earlier, the logistical problem in making a contrabass trombone was solved by introducing a double slide, though other less practical versions came with a long handle attached to the slide grip.</div>
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King Trombonium, 1955</div>
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With the introduction of rotary keys and pistons in the early 19th century came trombones that could trill, change register and transpose.</div>
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In the 1950's, King (H. N. White, Co.) made an instrument called the “trombonium,” which, while not exactly a trombone, is similar enough to one in bore profile to sound like a valve trombone.</div>
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<br />The Roles of the Less Common Instruments</h3>
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The life of the soprano trombone has been patchy at best. It saw wide use in orchestral music in the late 18th century, but was edged out in the 19th century, first by keyed, then valved instruments.</div>
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The problem of maintaining interest in this instrument lies partly in available repertoire that explores this instrument’s capabilities. The scarcity of this instrument is directly proportional to the lack of effort in creating a repertoire and venue for it. That said, interest in the soprano trombone is rekindled from time to time. It is a little known fact that the soprano trombone was played by some of the top trumpet/cornettist players of the jazz world in the 1920's, such as Freddie Keppard. Louis Armstrong was photographed with this instrument during his tenure with Joe “King” Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band when they were playing at the Lincoln Gardens, though my understanding is that this was a promotional shot. Today, Jupiter produces a cheap version of this instrument under the name “mini trombone.” DEG (Getzen) made a model in the past, and Miraphone is still producing their version.</div>
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source: <a href="http://www.blackdiamondbrass.com/trbhist/tbonehist.htm" target="_blank">blackdiamondbrass.com</a></div>

Trombone

Trombone Given the best evidence, which by all accounts is very much incomplete, the earliest trombone, called the sackbutt and similar n...

Shankar Mahadevan

Eugene 0 artists 9:38 AM

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgQwV-A94KnumHc1OQ79DTAgcmXh34hG7L8RWzvjRYdTkBgt-eTDKbGIgfMQjTkkWJc0LBUxLf_QjSzQqiZ7pj_PcLq_xrEtXCvZyot0ZoDMQrdVfqYIR1sTd06nyMj_j-lsCXetOf-jS/s1600/shankar+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgQwV-A94KnumHc1OQ79DTAgcmXh34hG7L8RWzvjRYdTkBgt-eTDKbGIgfMQjTkkWJc0LBUxLf_QjSzQqiZ7pj_PcLq_xrEtXCvZyot0ZoDMQrdVfqYIR1sTd06nyMj_j-lsCXetOf-jS/s320/shankar+.jpg" width="314" /></a>Introduction</h3>
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Shankar Mahadevan is an award-winning musical composer, playback singer and part of the Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy composing trio team. He is also the founder of the Shankar Mahadevan Academy, which teaches Indian Music online to students worldwide. He can speak fluently in Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Urdu, Hindi and English. Some of his popular songs include Urvashi Take It Easy from Humse Hai Muqabla (1995), I Love You from Auzaar (1997) and Kay Sera Sera from Pukar (2000).</div>
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Early Life</div>
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Born to a Tamil Iyer family from Pallakad Kerala, Shankar was brought up in Chembur, Mumbai. He started learning Carnatic music from childhood and could play the veena by the age of five. His first music teacher was the Marathi composer Srinivas Khale. In his formative years, he attended Our Lady of Perpetual Succour High School (OLPS) in Chembur before moving on to completing his HSC SIES Sion and then graduating with Computer Science and Engineering from Ramarao Adik Institute of Technology in 1988. He then worked as a software engineer for Oracle.</div>
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Rise to fame</h3>
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Shankar rose to fame with the release of the musical album entitled Breathless in 1998. The title track Breathless, minus any verse, stanza or break that lasts for almost three minutes, was engineered to appear as if he sung it in a single breath. The lyricist for the album was the renowned Javed Akhtar and the model appearing in the album was Renu Desai. He then ventured into music direction and became a member of the Shankar- Ehsaan- Loy trio, which provides music for Bollywood films. Shankar got his first National Film Award in playback singing for his song Kandukondain Kandukondain in the year 2000 and went on to become an accomplished musician in Tamil Cinema. Since then, he has collaborated with leading composers like AR Rahman, Ilaiyaraaja, Deva, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Harris Jayaraj, Vidyasagar, Mani Sharma, Devi Sri Prasad, G. V. Prakash Kumar, Vijay Antony, D. Imman, and S. Thaman among others. Besides Hindi songs with Shankar- Ehsaan- Loy he has also sung Telugu, Malayala, Kannada and Marathi songs with composers like Shridhar Phadke and Ajay-Atul. In the year 2000, he made a special appearance in the song Thaniye from the video Rhythm, which he sung himself. He has sung mostly for Tamil cinema heroes from Rajnikanth to Kamal Hasan. One of his hit songs includes Mammatha Rasa from Thiruda Thirudi (2003), which was a chartbuster. His popular Telugu songs have come in movies like Dookudu ( 2011), Gabar Singh (2012) and Attarintiki Daredi (2013). In March 2011, Shankar started the Shankar Mahadevan Academy, to offer tutorials and virtual vocal courses in Carnatic and Hindustani classical music. The Academy was nominated in the Best Activist Anthem Category in the Honesty Oscars 2014.</div>
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Bands</h3>
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He is part of the jazz fusion band called Silk, which features Louis Banks on the Keyboards, Shivamani on percussion, Sridhar Parthasarathy on Mridangam and Karl Peters on bass. He has sung for Remembering Shakti, with Zakir Hussain, John McLaughlin, Chandan Sharma, U Srinivas and V Selvaganesh. Shankar has performed for a variety of concerts like PULSE, India’s second largest inter-collegiate festival at AIIMS in 2008 and 2010. He has performed at Raagam 09, an Inter-collegiate festival at the National Institute of Technology in Calicut and in February 2010, he performed at Kuruksastra 10 at the Sastra University, Thanjavur, in Tamil Nadu. He also performed for UNESCO’s International Jazz Festival at the UN General Assembly on April 30 2012. In 2013, he along with Ehsaan and Loy performed at a five-hour benefit concert for Lok Biradari Prakalp in Nagpur. They also performed at the day-two Pro Show of Riviera 2013. On 17th March 2013, Shankar performed at Raagam 13.</div>
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Television</h3>
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He was the music director for School Chale Hum on Doordarshan and mentor for the musical reality show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa challenge for Zee TV in 2009 and 2012. He was also the captain and judge for Star Plus musical show Music ka Maha Muqqabala. He remained a mentor for his team in the year 2010. In the Star Plus show, his team Shankar’s Rockstars won the contest in 2010.</div>
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Awards And Recognitions</h3>
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Filmfare Best Male Playback Award Zee Cine Best Playback Singer Male Award IIFA Best Male Playback Award</div>
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Top Ten Songs</h3>
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1. Breathless – Best of Shankar (2003) 2. Desi Girl - Dostana (2008) 3. Kajra Re – Bunty Aur Babli (2005) 4. Maahi Ve- Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) 6. Mitwa – Kabhi alvida naa kehna (2006) 7. Where’s The Party Tonight – Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) 8. Sajda – My name is Khan (2010) 9. Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe – Dil Chahta Hai (2001) 9. Uff teri ada- Karthik calling Karthik (2010) 10.Wake Up Sid - Wake Up Sid (2009)</div>
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source: <a href="http://www.saavn.com/s/artist/shankar-mahadevan-bio/,QE2Oks7qzI_" target="_blank">saavn.com</a></div>

Shankar Mahadevan

Introduction Shankar Mahadevan is an award-winning musical composer, playback singer and part of the Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy composing trio te...

Atif Aslam

Eugene 0 artists 9:21 AM

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Atif Aslam</h2>
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Life & Career</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-mk66AFC4zsUcY_GNar1NXOWpbbSWYneekhafSSpfYy4-XV3-WTB5XW_8kzsjovNwQNCCsjdjWYCRye_yi9l47zc7wMcR5OBBwclvFB4rfMf23SUIwSTulfiJ-Hf2ydyNW9wmILfljFR/s1600/atif.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-mk66AFC4zsUcY_GNar1NXOWpbbSWYneekhafSSpfYy4-XV3-WTB5XW_8kzsjovNwQNCCsjdjWYCRye_yi9l47zc7wMcR5OBBwclvFB4rfMf23SUIwSTulfiJ-Hf2ydyNW9wmILfljFR/s320/atif.jpg" width="320" /></a>Atif attended high School at PAF College, Lahore, where he played Kabaddi and became interested in music. </div>
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He attended Punjab Institute of Computer Science (PICS) to do his Bachelors in Computer Science (BCs). </div>
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It was at PICS, Lahore that he met guitarist and talented young composer, Gohar Mumtaz. This lead to performances at their college and at various restaurants eventually pushing the pair into finding a name for their subtly formed band, which they named "Jal" - which means water.</div>
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Working together, the pair recorded the song Aadat (with the help of Salman Albert, amongst other established and accomplished Pakistani musicians). </div>
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It became popular on a host of promotional Pakistani music websites. </div>
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The music video for Aadat was shot one day in a warehouse in Karachi. </div>
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On the base of this one song, “Jal” began their tour of Pakistan—such was the strength of “Aadat”. </div>
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However, whilst on tour, personal problems led to a verbal bust-up resulting in an unannounced and indefinite hiatus, during which Atif launched his solo career.</div>
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Atif Aslam, after leaving Jal, released a new solo album, Jal Pari (meaning "Mermaid") which was a big hit. </div>
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The Songs Woh Lamhey, Dil Haarey and few others were smash hits on both Pakistani radio stations and Music Channels. As both the Jal, “Aadat”, and Atif’s album, Jalpari, shared certain tracks (such as “Aadat”, “Bheegi Raatein”, “Wo Lamhey”, “Ankhon se”) an unofficial war over rights began which resulted in both sides claiming to possess hard proof to support their respective claims (that, they alone owned the concerned songs). </div>
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The hype this feud gave to both Atif and the new Jal was extraordinary and split the musical nation with the fans of each side backing their respective favourite.</div>
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Whilst the drama of lyrics & composition ownership continued in Pakistan, Bollywood director Mahesh Bhatt called Atif Aslam to seek his consent to include "Woh Lamhey" in the soundtrack of his new motion picture, Zeher (2005). </div>
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The song (especially the remix version) became a hit. </div>
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This pattern of a slow playback song by Atif in the movie, supplemented by a remix version released for radio airplay was to become standard procedure with Atif’s songs on the Indian market.</div>
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He recorded a song for the movie Kalyug (2005), entitled Juda Hokey Bhi - a slight variation of the ever famous Aadat song. </div>
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Like with “Wo Lamhey / Bheegi Yaadein”, a slow version became the theme for the movie and part of the official soundtrack, whilst a remixed version was released to hit the radio stations and desi clubs worldwide.</div>
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After recording for Kalyug, an Irani director in Hollywood contacted Atif and within very little time, Atif recorded three songs for that same director’s Hollywood movie, Man Push Cart and was rewarded with a small cameo role in the movie.</div>
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Atif re-emerged in the subcontinent with a new track, “Tere Bin” (translation: [Without You]) for the Bollywood Movie, Bas Ek Pal (2006). The song "Tere Bin" became a hit in India and Pakistan. </div>
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It was also being considered as one of the most touching and heart melting numbers of the year 2006. </div>
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In between the copyright war and media war with Gohar ( Jal ) and recording Bollywood songs, Atif has been touring the world and working on his new album.</div>
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Atif visited various countries in Asia, Europe & The Americas which include Pakistan,Bangladesh, India, UAE, UK, Canada & America—taking his sound to the “pardesi” (expatriates of the subcontinent) worldwide. </div>
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Personal Life</h3>
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Atif’s new album has been entitled Doorie and has released on December 2006. The songs include Maula, Doorie, Kuch is tarah, and Hum Kis Gali. </div>
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Muhammad Atif Aslam was born on 12th march 1983 in Wazirabad Gujranwala. </div>
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Atif’s kinder garden started in Model town Lahore at Kimberley Hall School. </div>
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His first stage manifestation was in a fancy dress show at his school when he was in grade–1 where he performed as Imran Khan “ Captain of Pakistan Cricket Team”. </div>
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Since then cricket was like a passion to him. He was never tired of playing cricket for hours in his car porch whether it is scorching sun outside or even raining. </div>
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At that time he was not used to listen any kind of songs.</div>
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At the age of 9 in 1991 he was shifted to Rawalpindi/Islamabad where he continued his studies in Saint Pauls School. </div>
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He started playing Basket Ball and he use to lead his school team for various matches. Atif came back to Lahore in 1995 where he continued his studies in Divisional Public School Model Town. </div>
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For his immense passion for cricket he was selected in his school team as a fast bowler. Atif cleared his 10th grade in 14 years of age with a distinctive edge that he has always been the youngest boy in the class because of his double promotions while he was in Kimberley Hall.</div>
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Atif started his HSc in PAF College Lahore. Cricket was all the times with him. He was in his college team as well where he presented his college in other cities. </div>
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Beside his studies he was putting his maximum time in practicing for the professional cricket. </div>
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During his college life he come across with some interest in music. </div>
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His eldest brother was having a collection of more than 8,000 songs of almost all music genres. </div>
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Un-intentionally he was developing a habit of listening to this all kind of music in his house. </div>
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As a good learner he quickly grasped the control of voice but till that time he was not interested in singing, his passion was to enter in Pakistan cricket team as a fast bowler and he was right on track while practicing at the net at Shapes club Lahore where Imran Khan use to come and give tips to him for bowling.</div>
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The twist in the story comes when one day he was singing with his friends at the college canteen. His friends insisted him to participate in the singing on Independence Day celebrations at PAF College Lahore and Sargodha in 1998. </div>
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He performed there and won the competition. After HSc Atif Joined Punjab Institute of Computer Science Gulberg Campus. </div>
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This time studies were much more demanding as compared to the previous ones. He has to sacrifice his time for the cricket.</div>
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His hobby of singing continued when he entered in the singing competition of his college There were a total of 8 participants .</div>
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The media team entered atif’s name in the competition at the eleventh hour and he won the competition singing a hit number of “string” “Duur”.</div>
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He kept on winning these competitions every semester until he announced that he will not participate in next competitions so that someone else can also win the competitions. He found Goher at his college who was having good interest in Music & was a good, talented guitarist. </div>
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Together they use to practice a lot and started doing mini concerts for their friend. </div>
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Atif use to sing the Junoon’s and string’s song at the concert. The volume of audience kept on increasing. </div>
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They performed concerts for their college, McDonalds and some other restaurants as well.Atif recorded the legendary song “AADAT” at Mekal Hassan’s Studio. Mekal injected his professionalism in the song to make it worth listening time after time. </div>
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Atif formed the band and named the band as “JAL” which means water, the essence of life. </div>
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The song got popularity on the different musical websites on Pakistan. The song was also being on aired on major Radio channels of Pakistan like FMr within just 5 months of the sale and its still continuing. </div>
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source:<a href="http://aadeex.blogspot.com/p/atif-aslam-full-history.html" target="_blank">aadeex.blogspot.com</a></div>
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Atif Aslam

Atif Aslam Life & Career Atif attended high School at PAF College, Lahore, where he played Kabaddi and became interested in music. ...

Lata Mangeshkar

Eugene 0 artists 9:10 AM

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Lata Mangeshkar</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
Early Life</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCR0GttNvhGkge9emrApMcDFqlPqgMFv6dHA56Mic9ELIH7SSzyX_-_gcF6npcCM9F0Rswx_GUMhSyLki1SejECBlcSa0vTeLb4kpGQ4g_Mrur_qd1bFcfkoGq3qlzvanTJsD_R4q654yG/s1600/lata+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCR0GttNvhGkge9emrApMcDFqlPqgMFv6dHA56Mic9ELIH7SSzyX_-_gcF6npcCM9F0Rswx_GUMhSyLki1SejECBlcSa0vTeLb4kpGQ4g_Mrur_qd1bFcfkoGq3qlzvanTJsD_R4q654yG/s320/lata+.jpg" width="320" /></a>Lata Mangeshkar is one of the best singers of the Hindi film industry. She is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most recorded artist in the world. It is estimated that she has more than 30,000 solo, duet and chorus backed songs in 20 different languages from 1948 to 1987. Now, it must way over 40,000! Lata Mangeshkar was born on 28th September, 1929 in a place called Indore. Her father Dinanath Mangeshkar was a renowned classical singer himself. Lata was introduced to music at a very young age. The life history of Lata Mangeshkar is truly fascinating. Read this short biography of Lata Mungeshkar. </div>
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Personal Life</h3>
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Lata Mangeshkar was very young when her father passed away, thus making the family dependant on Lata. To take care of her family's economic situation, Lata acted in as many as 8 films from 1942 to 1948. She debuted as playback singer in a Marathi film named Kiti Hasaal (1942). Unfortunately the song was edited out. Her first Hindi playback was for the film Aap ke Sewa Main (1947) but she did not get noticed. At that time, the film industry was ruled by female singers who had heavier and huskier voices like Noor Jehan, Shamshad Begum and Zohrabai Ambalewali. While auditioning for the movie Shaheed (1948), she was rejected on the account of her thin voice! But Ghulam Haider saw the potential in her and gave her a chance to sing in the film Majboor. </div>
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The song Dil Mera Toda finally got her noticed and it was touted as her breakthrough song. In 1949, she had four major hits from the films Barsaat, Andaaz, Dulari and Mahal. The song "Aayega Aanewala" from Mahal was a huge hit and Lata secured a firm position in the industry. The husky voices of all other singers became obsolete in front of the high pitched voice of Lata Mangeshkar. The music industry had a huge makeover with the arrival of Lata Mangeshkar. By the late 50's, the younger sister of Lata Mangeshkar known as Asha Bhonsle also came into the scene and they both were touted as the unbeatable voices of the industry. </div>
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Lata rose to fame rapidly and made her indelible mark in the industry. She has sung with famous singers like Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, etc. She has perfected almost every genre of music. Her success and determination made her one of the most powerful women in the industry. She refused to sing for the great composer S.D Burman due to some misunderstanding and also stopped singing with Mohammed Rafi. Her power was so immense that they had to come back to her. She actually monopolized the music industry and every music director wanted to work with her. She understood the requirement of each song and sang flawlessly. </div>
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Lata Mangeshkar has been honored with innumerable awards but the one that truly deserves a special mention is that she is the only second singer in the non-classical category (after M.S Subbulakshmi) in India to have received the highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna. She has received three national awards and eight Filmfare awards after which she stopped accepting awards in order to promote new talent. She continues to sing every now and then for Hindi movies and perform live. Truly a living legend, Lata Mangeshkar has a talent that is second to none.Lata Mangeshkar was very young when her father passed away, thus making the family dependant on Lata. To take care of her family's economic situation, Lata acted in as many as 8 films from 1942 to 1948. She debuted as playback singer in a Marathi film named Kiti Hasaal (1942). Unfortunately the song was edited out. Her first Hindi playback was for the film Aap ke Sewa Main (1947) but she did not get noticed. At that time, the film industry was ruled by female singers who had heavier and huskier voices like Noor Jehan, Shamshad Begum and Zohrabai Ambalewali. While auditioning for the movie Shaheed (1948), she was rejected on the account of her thin voice! But Ghulam Haider saw the potential in her and gave her a chance to sing in the film Majboor. </div>
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Career</h3>
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The song Dil Mera Toda finally got her noticed and it was touted as her breakthrough song. In 1949, she had four major hits from the films Barsaat, Andaaz, Dulari and Mahal. The song "Aayega Aanewala" from Mahal was a huge hit and Lata secured a firm position in the industry. The husky voices of all other singers became obsolete in front of the high pitched voice of Lata Mangeshkar. The music industry had a huge makeover with the arrival of Lata Mangeshkar. By the late 50's, the younger sister of Lata Mangeshkar known as Asha Bhonsle also came into the scene and they both were touted as the unbeatable voices of the industry. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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Lata rose to fame rapidly and made her indelible mark in the industry. She has sung with famous singers like Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, etc. She has perfected almost every genre of music. Her success and determination made her one of the most powerful women in the industry. She refused to sing for the great composer S.D Burman due to some misunderstanding and also stopped singing with Mohammed Rafi. Her power was so immense that they had to come back to her. She actually monopolized the music industry and every music director wanted to work with her. She understood the requirement of each song and sang flawlessly. </div>
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Lata Mangeshkar has been honored with innumerable awards but the one that truly deserves a special mention is that she is the only second singer in the non-classical category (after M.S Subbulakshmi) in India to have received the highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna. She has received three national awards and eight Filmfare awards after which she stopped accepting awards in order to promote new talent. She continues to sing every now and then for Hindi movies and perform live. Truly a living legend, Lata Mangeshkar has a talent that is second to none.</div>
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source: <a href="http://www.culturalindia.net/indian-music/indian-singers/lata-mangeshkar.html" target="_blank">culturalindia.net</a></div>

Lata Mangeshkar

Lata Mangeshkar Early Life Lata Mangeshkar is one of the best singers of the Hindi film industry. She is listed in the Guinness Book of...

Dong Bang Shin Ki(TVQX)

Eugene 0 artists 7:30 AM

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Dong Bang Shin Ki</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
Early Days</h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9k6cIswOZBiQq7upeO2HBU0x-rxtoC7HPFvcB3ks414QYUD75WQDLfnMATIx_Bdgh9ydnggmj4GaQvlO-AkxUzILHe1N8VdezwM4FNoDu6v-9SKhv31iRfU9koaBChRNZB_CacFcTI_B/s1600/toho.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9k6cIswOZBiQq7upeO2HBU0x-rxtoC7HPFvcB3ks414QYUD75WQDLfnMATIx_Bdgh9ydnggmj4GaQvlO-AkxUzILHe1N8VdezwM4FNoDu6v-9SKhv31iRfU9koaBChRNZB_CacFcTI_B/s320/toho.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Dong Bang Shin Ki, a collective of many names -- it's known in Japan as Tohoshinki and is also called Tong Vfang Xien Qi (particularly in China) and abbreviated to TVXQ -- is a Korean boy band that managed to score big not just on their home turf, but in Japan as well, rivaling the success of BoA, with whom they sometimes collaborate. The group, whose name means "Rising Gods of the East," was established by SM Entertainment, a Korean pop industry powerhouse; their music is a typical pop/R&B fare with the occasional rock edge and a tendency for a cappella songs, and all members dabble in songwriting duties in addition to singing and dancing. TVXQ had their live debut in late 2003, when they played with BoA and Britney Spears, and in 2004, they released their first Korean single, "Hug," which scored number four on the charts, paving the way for the album Tri-Angle, which scored number one on the charts and shifted 242,000 units. In 2005, TVXQ made their first stab at the Japanese market, releasing the single "Stay with Me Tonight" on Rhythm Zone, a subsidiary of Avex. It only charted at number 37, but that did not discourage the band, who continued releasing singles in Japan, though they had more success back home for a while, topping the Korean charts again with their second album, Rising Sun (2005).</div>
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International</h3>
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TVXQ confirmed their global ambitions in 2006, when they toured China, Thailand, and Malaysia, where they became first Korean band to play. They also continued to pound on the Oricon, releasing their first Japanese album Heart, Mind and Soul (2006) and touring the country. They still had bigger success in Korea, where their "O" from the Jung.Ban.Hap. album (2007), which became the record of the year, allowing them to scoop up multiple music awards, and they've also cracked the Japanese Top Five, recorded with Kumi Koda, and had another Far Eastern tour. The toil paid off in 2008, when their release Purple Line scored number one on the Japanese charts. More than half-a-dozen chart-toppers followed in the next two years, including four in a row in 2008-2009. TVXQ sold over 500,000 copies of their fourth album, Mirotic, in Korea despite -- or perhaps thanks to -- a censorship ban on the title track, which was deemed too sexual for young minds. The band continued their streak of hits with the DVD 4th Live Tour 2009: The Secret Code (2009), which sold 240,000 copies, beating Led Zeppelin's record for best DVD sales by a foreign artist in Japan, and shifting 256,000 copies in its debut week with their single "Break Out!" (2010), beating another sales record by Elton John. They also made the Guinness Book of World Records twice, as the band with the biggest fan club -- Cassiopeia, their Korean community, numbered 800,000 members -- and as the most photographed band in the world. However, in 2009, the group hit the skids: Hero, Micky, and Xiag sued SM Entertainment for profits, contesting their long-term contracts, and won (Max and U-Know sided with the company). This effectually forced TVXQ on hiatus, so the three rebels created a new unit called simply Junsu Jejung Yuchun (their Korean names) in 2010, and accepted a deal with Avex. TVXQ released several best-ofs in 2010, including Best Selection 2010, which broke another sales record by a foreign artist in Japan, this time beating Bon Jovi's These Days.TVXQ confirmed their global ambitions in 2006, when they toured China, Thailand, and Malaysia, where they became first Korean band to play. They also continued to pound on the Oricon, releasing their first Japanese album Heart, Mind and Soul (2006) and touring the country. They still had bigger success in Korea, where their "O" from the Jung.Ban.Hap. album (2007), which became the record of the year, allowing them to scoop up multiple music awards, and they've also cracked the Japanese Top Five, recorded with Kumi Koda, and had another Far Eastern tour. The toil paid off in 2008, when their release Purple Line scored number one on the Japanese charts. More than half-a-dozen chart-toppers followed in the next two years, including four in a row in 2008-2009. TVXQ sold over 500,000 copies of their fourth album, Mirotic, in Korea despite -- or perhaps thanks to -- a censorship ban on the title track, which was deemed too sexual for young minds. The band continued their streak of hits with the DVD 4th </div>
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Japan</h3>
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Live Tour 2009: The Secret Code (2009), which sold 240,000 copies, beating Led Zeppelin's record for best DVD sales by a foreign artist in Japan, and shifting 256,000 copies in its debut week with their single "Break Out!" (2010), beating another sales record by Elton John. They also made the Guinness Book of World Records twice, as the band with the biggest fan club -- Cassiopeia, their Korean community, numbered 800,000 members -- and as the most photographed band in the world. However, in 2009, the group hit the skids: Hero, Micky, and Xiag sued SM Entertainment for profits, contesting their long-term contracts, and won (Max and U-Know sided with the company). This effectually forced TVXQ on hiatus, so the three rebels created a new unit called simply Junsu Jejung Yuchun (their Korean names) in 2010, and accepted a deal with Avex. TVXQ released several best-ofs in 2010, including Best Selection 2010, which broke another sales record by a foreign artist in Japan, this time beating Bon Jovi's These Days.</div>
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source:<a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tvxq-mn0001424404" target="_blank">allmusic.com</a></div>

Dong Bang Shin Ki(TVQX)

Dong Bang Shin Ki Early Days Dong Bang Shin Ki, a collective of many names -- it's known in Japan as Tohoshinki and is also called...